Good deeds, fundraisers follow Super Bowl to New Jersey, New York

Jan. 15, 2014

Participants of the Super Kids/Super sharing program gather on Jan. 9 at Essex County College in Newark. Local students donated thousands of books and other school related items. / BOB BIELK/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Written by

Stephen Edelson

@SteveEdelsonAPP

Participants of the Super Kids/Super sharing program gather Jan. 9 at Essex County College. Local students donated thousands of books and other school related items to children in New York and New Jersey.

BY THE NUMBERS

$1 million — The amount of money raised by the average Super Bowl, according to Rich Petriccione of the New York/New Jersey Host Committee. $5 million — The amount of money raised to date for New Jersey and New York charities as part of the leadup to Super Bowl XLVIII. $1.5 million — The amount of money received by the Host Committee’s Snowflake Youth Foundation in a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. $2 million — The amount of money diverted toward programs in Newark, including a $665,000 gift from Prudential and $250,000 from Public Service Electric & Gas that went to the Boys and Girls Club of Newark, with the NFL Foundation and the Snowflake Youth Foundation combining to give another $125,000. 30,000 — The number of items, including books, sports equipment and school supplies, for distribution to students in need as part of the “Super Kids — Super Sharing” event last week at Essex County College. 375,000 — The number of pints of blood collected since May 15 as part of drives that the Host Committee helped organize in conjunction with New Jersey Workplace Blood Donor Coalition, the New York Blood Center and the American Red Cross.

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NEWARK — Years from now everyone will remember who won Super Bowl XLVIII, whether it snowed at MetLife Stadium and how outrageous were the commercials, while area businesses will reflect back on whatever economic impact the game generated in New Jersey and New York. That’s all well and good, but Rich Petriccione understands it’s not enough.

As the senior vice president of philanthropy and community relations for the New York/New Jersey Host Committee, Petriccione knows that part of the enduring impact must relate to lives changed for the better, not just if the parties were over-the-top or the halftime show was dazzling.

“The NFL has a charity legacy program, so every Super Bowl has to kind of check the box and make sure you’re giving back on certain things,” he said. “What we’ve tried to do — because it’s New York and New Jersey — is kind of supersize the whole thing.”

Area students showed up at Essex County College last week to donate some 30,000 items as part of the “Super Kids — Super Sharing” event. As activity swirled around Petriccione in the college’s gym, he laid out his vision for a charitable game plan that will stretch far beyond what transpires on Feb. 2.

At the heart of the effort is the Snowflake Youth Foundation, formed as a way to funnel donations — primarily from corporate entities but from individuals as well — to projects that will serve to improve the outlook for young people long after the final piece of confetti has been swept from the Meadowlands playing surface.

“Most Super Bowls raise about a $1 million,” Petriccione noted. “And because Super Bowls have gone back to the same places, that $1 million would come back to places like Miami and New Orleans and Southern California every five or six years to the same facility, generally an after-school community facility of some kind that was basically supported by the Super Bowl.

“So what we tried to do was look at after-school facilities in New Jersey and New York that kids use every day, all summer long. Boys and Girls Clubs are good examples, but also community centers, community playgrounds, some schools that open their doors up all the time. Right now we’re at over 45 improvement and refurbishment projects.”

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So far the Snowflake Youth Foundation has raised more than $5 million, thanks in a large part to a $1.5 million grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Tangible impact

The tangible impact of the Host Committee’s charitable endeavors is already being felt throughout the region.

In Belmar, for instance, the Snowflake Youth Foundation’s support helped fund the Sandy Ground Project’s playground on Main Street. It was the 12th playground constructed by New Jersey Fireman’s Benevolent Association project, which will build 26 playgrounds throughout the region in honor of the 26 victims of last year’s Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.

Another grant will help Toms River High School East refurbish its wellness facility, targeted at establishing a cardio lab with new spin bikes, yoga equipment, free weights and aerobic machinery.

“Of all the advance planning and coordinating the Host Committee completes in preparation for Super Bowl XLVIII, no work is as fulfilling as that which is conducted for our collective community benefit,” said Al Kelly, CEO of the Host Committee.

The Host Committee has partnered with the New Jersey Workplace Blood Donor Coalition, the New York Blood Center and the American Red Cross to organize one of the largest blood drives ever. Since last May 15 they have collected over 375,000 pints of blood throughout the area.

In addition, they’ve partnered with the New Jersey Cares and New York Cares on their annual coat drive.

“Basically we’re taking Super Bowl and looking at all the good that’s being done in these communities and saying, ‘Let’s use the leverage of this Super Bowl and see how we can use it to help people become aware of all the good they’re doing,’ ” Petriccione said.